Things that have put a kick in my step this week

Felix made the PSSA Jnr boys softball team. His first PSSA team. He is very chuffed about it all. He scored two home runs in their first match last Friday.

I unpicked the quilt. All 42 squares. I spent a lot of time with the legend-ladies at the quilting fabric store (who remembered me!) and they offered a few suggestions on the solution I wanted to try. Tonight, just now, I finished re-piecing (is that the right term?) the pieces and DUDES, I can’t stop smiling.

I ordered some fabric (which was on sale) online and it arrived today. My first real stash.

I made puff pastry for the first time and it worked AND it was delicious. I can NOT tell you all enough that it is EASY but it does take time. Such a wonderful dough to work with too.

I have done washing AND put it away.

This afternoon the ducks were back up in our street, quacking away. They used to only appear after it had rained but they’ve been up our way a lot lately (they waddle up from the lake which is equidistant as the beach is from our place). So today we fed them and followed them back down to the lake. A lovely spontaneous activity.

I caught up with a friend K on Saturday who I hadn’t seen in months and months. Just lovely.

Felix used some of his money that he’s saved and bought a new scooter and got funky grips – he can’t get over it and keeps telling me so. As well as thanking me profusely. I’m taking the thanks and neglecting the whole ‘well it was your money’ line. It’s just lovely to see his eyes all wide with excitement, gratitude and appreciation.

This is the last week of Term 3 so the big boys will be on holiday for two weeks from Friday. Sweet.

There are two boys who live across the road from us who are around the same age as Oscar and Felix. A boy in Felix’s class (who he is becoming more and more friendly with) lives two doors down from them. In the last three weeks or so they’ve all started playing with each other so now it’s a revolving door of boys, scooters, TV, war games, rumbling on the trampoline, thundering through the house, more scootering, lake exploring, checking out the beach, more thundering through the house asking what there is to eat. There’s been sleep-overs and just hanging out together and all I can think is ‘this is what a childhood is meant to be. This is the memories the boys will have as adults of their childhood’. And oh, how happy that makes me feel.

Jasper is rhyming words, matching words that start with the same sound and able to spell his name out loud. Watching a child learn to read and write takes my breath away. I never tire of it.